entertainment lawyer what do they do

by Etha Sporer 9 min read

Here's a list of activities that might be part of an entertainment lawyer's job description:

  • Draft contracts for a client, review contracts from managers, publicists, record labels, film studios and others to make...
  • Maintain relationships with studios or record labels and be aware of who's influential and what deals are being made in...

What is an entertainment lawyer? Unlike divorce or corporate lawyers, an entertainment lawyer represents and protects the interests of creatives, companies and others in the many areas of the entertainment industry, such as film, television, new media, theater, publishing and music.

Full Answer

What is the job description for an entertainment lawyer?

Apr 08, 2021 · An entertainment lawyer is a law professional who specializes in legal matters related to the entertainment industry. Entertainment lawyers may focus on advising clients on entertainment contract laws, intellectual property or entertainment labor laws. Entertainment lawyers can represent a variety of entertainment professionals, including ...

How to become an entertainment attorney?

Career Overview. Some entertainment lawyers represent individual persons, such as actors or musicians, while others work to protect the trademark rights of major production companies from infringement on characters, plot lines, and brand names. Entertainment lawyers are additionally found in the political arena of the entertainment industry, working to represent …

Who are some of entertainment lawyers?

The entertainment industry is known to fluctuate, and lawyers need to be able to fill the gaps in work if necessary. This tends to build strong entrepreneurial skills and hones business acumen, furthering one’s competency in this industry. Location can also be key.

What are some duties lawyers have to do?

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What is the role of an entertainment lawyer?

Entertainment Attorneys help their clients to understand legal agreements, ensuring that the terms are in their clients' best interests. They work with Recording Groups, Record Producers, Songwriters, Music Publishers, Record Label Executives, Music Producers, and Composers.Jul 3, 2020

What do entertainment lawyers do on a daily basis?

1. What do entertainment attorneys do in a typical day? Lawyers within the practice field of entertainment law break their typical day down to events much like those below: They draft and negotiate development and production contracts with writing, directing, acting and recording talent.

What does entertainment law include?

Overview. Entertainment law covers an area of law that involves media of all different types (e.g. TV, film, music, publishing, advertising, Internet & news media, etc.)

Do entertainment lawyers make a lot of money?

The salaries of Entertainment Lawyers in the US range from $10,018 to $187,200 , with a median salary of $18,674 . The middle 57% of Entertainment Lawyers makes between $18,674 and $74,346, with the top 86% making $187,200.

How do you become an entertainment lawyer?

How to become an entertainment lawyer? If you're considering a career path in entertainment law, many universities in India offer an LL. M and an online degree or diploma program. However, you initially require a law degree to be eligible for consideration.Jun 15, 2021

Are entertainment lawyers in demand?

Entertainment Lawyer Growth Trend The predicted growth rate for all occupations is 8 percent. Entertainment lawyer jobs are usually affected by the economy and the health of the entertainment industry which – including streaming services, music downloads and television revenue – continues to remain strong.Jan 20, 2022

What type of lawyer makes the most money?

Types Of Lawyers That Make The Most MoneyMedical Lawyers – Average $138,431. Medical lawyers make one of the highest median wages in the legal field. ... Intellectual Property Attorneys – Average $128,913. ... Trial Attorneys – Average $97,158. ... Tax Attorneys – Average $101,204. ... Corporate Lawyers – $116,361.Dec 18, 2020

What is media law?

Media law is law that regulates media production and use. Media law can encompass many different types of media including broadcast television, internet and print media.

What are sports law?

Sports law is an amalgam of laws that apply to athletes and the sports they play. It is not a single legal topic with generally applicable principles. Sports law touches on a variety of matters, including contract, tort, agency, antitrust, constitutional, labor, trademark, Sex Discrimination, criminal, and tax issues.

How much do celebrity lawyers make?

Celebrity attorneys charge a flat fee plus a commission, and generally earn $100k – $2 million.

How much do Nintendo lawyers make?

532 Nintendo of America employees have shared their salaries on Glassdoor. Select your job title and find out how much you could make at Nintendo of America....Nintendo of America Salaries.Job TitleSalaryLawyer salaries - 1 salaries reported$186,163/yrCorporate Counsel salaries - 1 salaries reported$212,652/yr2 more rows

How much do divorce lawyers make?

Salary Ranges for Divorce Lawyers The salaries of Divorce Lawyers in the US range from $25,415 to $679,997 , with a median salary of $121,978 . The middle 57% of Divorce Lawyers makes between $121,979 and $306,401, with the top 86% making $679,997.

What do entertainment lawyers do?

Some entertainment lawyers represent individual persons, such as actors or musicians, while others work to protect the trademark rights of major production companies from infringement on characters, plot lines, and brand names . Entertainment lawyers are additionally found in the political arena of the entertainment industry, working to represent bodies of workers such as actors, directors, or writers by working for the unions affiliated with such groups. Regardless of the specific role an entertainment lawyer plays in the field, they will have many of the same duties and responsibilities shared by other types of attorneys.

How to become an entertainment lawyer?

A prospective entertainment lawyer must attain a high school diploma or the equivalent, followed by a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. He or she then must take the Law School Admission Test and apply to law school. If possible, an aspiring entertainment lawyer should choose a school that specializes in entertainment law. Upon graduation, he or she will receive a Juris Doctor (J.D.). After passing his or her state bar exam, an entertainment lawyer should seek employment at a firm specializing in this discipline.

What is the job of a lawyer?

Unless they are self-employed with a few small-scale clients, lawyers typically act as supervisors to support staff, such as legal assistants, paralegals, and/or secretaries. Day-to-day tasks include conducting research regarding specific matters or cases at hand to prepare for court or negotiation.

How much will the number of lawyers grow in 2029?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ( www.bls.gov) predicts that the employment of all lawyers should grow by about 4% between 2019 and 2029, which is as fast as average compared to other job sectors.

Do attorneys have to communicate with clients?

All attorneys must communicate well with not only members of their legal team, but most especially with clients and prospective clients. Although some administrative duties will be fulfilled by others, attorneys must be organized and adept at preparing and filing legal documents.

What do entertainment attorneys do?

Entertainment attorneys also work with actors’ agents for contracts regarding upcoming projects. They negotiate with the agent and producer for the actor’s compensation. Some entertainment attorneys are also agents, managers or publicists.

How long does it take to become an entertainment attorney?

Education. Like other attorneys, an entertainment attorney spends three years earning a law degree after receiving a bachelor’s degree. But an entertainment attorney chooses to focus on entertainment, most often graduating from a law school that offers a specialization in entertainment law.

What does a music lawyer do?

They act as general counsel for established artists, helping with marketing and merchandising deals, as well as real estate transactions and tax issues. Also, they help artists secure the rights to use music that other artists have written, complying with copyright laws.

What does a finance manager do?

They work on financing agreements for sponsorships, bank loans, co-production investments, grants and other types of investments. They prepare agreements for appearance releases, location releases, and licenses. They may also help clients join unions, guilds, and other professional associations if needed.

What is entertainment lawyer?

What is an entertainment lawyer? Unlike divorce or corporate lawyers, an entertainment lawyer represents and protects the interests of creatives, companies and others in the many areas of the entertainment industry, such as film, television, new media, theater, publishing and music.

Which states offer competitive financial advantages for productions?

Many states outside of California and New York offer competitive financial advantages for productions, making it attractive to creatives on a budget to film in these other locations with local crew and other resources at their disposal.

How much does a retainer cost?

It may start at $1000 for contractual and/or advisement issues and go up to $100,000 should they be retained for litigation. Before agreeing to any terms with an entertainment lawyer, inquire about their retainer fee.

Can an emerging creative lawyer be an entertainment lawyer?

And while true that these professionals can foster your career and provide some of the same benefits as an entertainment lawyer, namely industry connections and career advice, neither have the legal expertise of an entertainment lawyer.

What is intellectual property?

Intellectual property, or IP, is big business. From a screenwriter’s spec script to a musician’s original song, anything created within this industry necessitates protection from those who may want to buy it, option it, license it—or infringe upon it with unauthorized use. An entertainment lawyer can see to it that a client’s intellectual property is handled properly and protected when copyright or trademark issues arise.

Can an entertainment lawyer be hired as an employee?

Unless you are potentially forming a company that would require the ongoing services of an entertainment lawyer, they would not be hired as an employee. Rather, they are a contractor who is part of a law firm or the proprietor of their own business.

Is entertainment lawyer specialized?

The nature of work for an entertainment lawyer is highly specialized. That in part explains the costly fees for them. However, it also indicates the extensive education they must attain to be skilled at their job.

Where do entertainment lawyers work?

Entertainment lawyers can work in law firms or as in-house counsel for corporations. This type of attorney tends to practice in entertainment hubs such as New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Nashville, though some find employment across the nation.

How to become an entertainment lawyer?

The first step one must take to become an entertainment lawyer is earning a bachelor’s degree from a college or university. After completing the four years of undergraduate study, the student then takes the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

What is entertainment law?

Entertainment law, sometimes referred to as “media law,” provides various legal services to individuals and businesses involved in the entertainment industry. This area of law covers all different types of media including: Film. Music. Publishing.

What do lawyers do after graduation?

After graduating, many lawyers begin their careers by working as law clerks after graduation. Since it is a very specialized field, it is not uncommon for entertainment lawyers to work in a different area of law before finding a job in the entertainment industry.

Do attorneys need retainers?

Regardless of whether the attorney charges hourly or a flat rate fee, they may also require a retainer. A retainer is a portion of the estimated total costs paid to the lawyer up front. The retainer is put into a special account and is used as the lawyer works on the case.

Is entertainment law a separate legal discipline?

TV/Radio. Theater. Entertainment law is not considered a separate legal discipline, but rather a blend of traditional legal disciplines, such as contract law, intellectual property law, and business law.

What are the responsibilities of an entertainment lawyer?

Job Responsibilities. Provide legal counsel to businesses and individuals in the entertainment industry; negotiate contracts and handle issues related to defamation, copyright, and intellectual property; argue in court when necessary. Licensure.

What is entertainment law?

Entertainment lawyers focus on the entertainment industry. They work with contracts in the music, television, film and publishing industries. They advise clients on the terms of the contract, alert them to any concerns with the contract, and may also draft contracts for companies or individuals.

What do lawyers need to know?

Lawyers require extensive legal knowledge . They must have a Juris Doctor degree, and must also pass the bar exam before they can practice law. They often specialize in a specific field of law, such as criminal law, business law or immigration law. Entertainment lawyers focus on the entertainment industry. They work with contracts in the music, ...

What are some examples of legal representation?

Typical examples include writers' strikes, defamation suits and contract negotiations. You can represent individuals, like actors and directors, and firms, such as production companies. You'll apply your extensive training in areas such as copyright, contract and intellectual property law.

What degree do you need to be an arbitrator?

They need a bachelor's degree, a familiarity with the law, and the ability to recommend contract terms for the parties to agree on.

What degree do paralegals need?

They are required to have an associate's degree.

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